Florida Atlantic men’s basketball, better known as the Beach Boys, changed the university in ways no one expected.

By now, everybody knows the story. 35 wins, Conference USA championship, and improbable win after improbable win until they fell in the final shot against the San Diego State Aztecs.

Dusty May and his roster will always be legends to the Florida Atlantic community and a testament to the magic of March Madness.

Reminiscing is fun, and I will always look at the Final Four as the event that changed my university 1.8 miles from the beach into a household name.

It’s time to turn the page.

To put it into perspective, Nick Boyd’s university-altering layup was 18 months ago.

Nelly’s iconic interview, Vlad’s rimrocking dunks, and A-Mart’s 3-point celebrations are all exhibits of the past.

Even the players themselves have left.

Einstein had a quote that all sports fans should remember:

“‘I’m more interested in the future than the past because the future is where I intend to live.”

Enter Coach John Jakus, a proven winner.

”Relationships over Everything”

oach Jakus’s track record speaks for itself. Jakus was the associate head coach for the Baylor Bears basketball squad. He helped the roster capture a national championship and back-to-back conference titles during that time. Along with his winning tendencies, he also has helped develop 3 1st round NBA draft picks. Jeremy Sochan, Davion Mitchell, and now Keyonte George are all playing the highest level of basketball in the world.

Jakus does not just have success to prove his greatness; he has legends of the game vouching for him. His former coach, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, emphasized his commitment to the game and his players. Gonzaga is the blueprint of what midmajor schools strive to be: the Bulldogs were a relatively small school until their basketball program’s success catapulted it into the national spotlight.

NBA champion coach Joe Mazzulla always praised Jakus not just for his basketball expertise but also for his appreciation for the humanity of his players. Jakus has a formula for winning: relationships over everything.

You can learn all the technical aspects of basketball and all the strategies, but if you cannot relate to the person holding the basketball, you will not be a good coach.

The Fellas

According to fluentslang.com, “the term fella is a shortened version of “fellow person” and is commonly used to refer to a friend or any random person.”

Even though these athletes are all-conference players of the year or even scouted by NBA teams, at the core, they are people. Given Coach Jakus’ ideology that relationships are everything, the 2024-2025 class will be defined as such.

It seems like the coaching staff listens to Pitbull because the roster contains more international players than the average D1 team.

According to the NCAA, just over 85 percent of DI men’s basketball players have a listed hometown in one of the 50 U.S. states, plus Washington D.C., which means DI teams have an average of nearly 2.3 international players per school. (Wittry, 2022).

A Google maps picture showing the hometowns of all Florida Atlantic men’s basketball players 2023-2024 According to the Florida Atlantic’s roster, they have 7 international players. Jakus has assembled a roster with more than triple the amount of international players than the average university. International play has boomed recently, with the NBA dominated by foreigners (see Jokic, Giannis, Luka).

A few of Jakus’ recruits have played international hoop on the biggest stage.

Both big men have played basketball for Lithuania. Matas Vokietaitis and Mantas Kocanas both represented their country in overseas tournaments. Considering their similarities; seeing how Jakus incorporates them into the roster will be very interesting.

Senegal native Amar Amkou played basketball for the NBA’s African Academy. He impressed so much that he even won Rookie of the Year in his program.

Coach Jakus has ties overseas, which played a factor in recruiting these individuals.

Jakus has recruited talent that is based on his guard-heavy playstyle. Picking up the SWAC player of the year in Ken Evans Jr while adding all-conference players in Leland Walker and KyKy Tandy indicates that Jakus will promote a small ball-esque offense.

Comparsion

Last year, Florida Atlantic made the tournament. They even made it with an at-large bid. It would have been fantastic for other mid-majors, but this team was a shot away from the national championship a year ago.

During the Final Four run, everybody made their impact known. During the Memphis game, who had the best statistical game? Not the deadly guard duo or the hulking 7-footer, but the backup big man Giancarlo Rosado, who shot the lights out of the arena. Who put the team on his back and singlehandedly went on an 8-0 run to push FAU to win against an SEC powerhouse? That would be Michael Forrest, a senior who was regulated to come off the bench in his final college season after starting most of his career.

The common denominator in great teams is the next-man-up mentality. If your superstars are having an off night, their teammate steps in. Penny Hardaway had a scouting report for FAU’s small ball starting 5, but he did not expect a backup center to shoot 6/6 from the field. Tennessee might have been a bit more wary about the backup center but did not expect a senior at the edge of the rotation to change the tide.

What separated the Final Four roster from last year’s roster is a clear and defined superstar.

I will preface this by saying I mean no disrespect to Johnell Davis. He is the best player I have watched in person, and I cannot count how many times he has entered takeover mode and led Florida Atlantic to victory.

In the 2023-2024 season, Florida Atlantic lived and died by Johnell Davis. If he was not playing like an All-American, they were in trouble. That is not sustainable for a March run.

Given Jakus’ numerous accolades, he knows about team traits that could bring home the ultimate prize.

Expections this Year

Jakus knows how hungry Florida Atlantic is for redemption. While other coaches might feel the strain, Jakus will do his best to win basketball games and empower young men beyond the court.

I predict that Jakus will have two team members become the first Florida Atlantic Owls to play in the National Basketball Association. Jakus’ expertise in developing guards will pay off. Evans Jr, Tandy, and Walker’s potential will be drawn out by their head coach and they will be on draft boards.

The other player will be Baba Miller. Miller is the only player in the American Conference to come back from the NBA combine. Miller also played international basketball for Spain, representing his country in the FIBA World Cup. He attended Florida State, but decided against returning to the capital as well as withdrawing from the Draft. With his tips from NBA personnel, he holds a unique advantage over the rest of the American Athletic Conference. Coupled with the fact that he is 6’11 but has all the skills of a guard, Miller will make a franchise very happy next season.

Jakus will bring out the best in his already talented roster and secure a postseason spot, whether it be an at-large bid or a conference title.

The Owls will go dancing once again.

Will The New Era Top the Old?

March Madness is one of the most coveted postseasons in all of sports: time after time, schools show the world the true meaning of an underdog story.

March makes you feel every emotion possible because these are some of the best basketball players in North America. They are also students cramming for that exam, excited for that next party, and trying to figure out what they will do after their four years at college.

FAU Athletics has assembled a team that features superstars headed by a man with a distinction Florida Atlantic fans hunger for: a National Championship ring.

I ask you this: did you believe that the FAU Owls would make the Final Four in 2023? As a student who attended every possible game and a diehard fan.

I sure as hell did not.

It’s safe to say I was very, very wrong.